Fall

FOUR LITTLE PUMPKINS

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Who said pumpkin-shaped cookies need to be always orange and brown, same old same old?
Today I share four versions that expand the horizons of the Pumpkin World.

VERSION #1

WOODLAND PUMPKIN

I was absolutely smitten by this design, created by Marlyn, from Montreal Confections. You can see her tutorial clicking here. I modified just a few little details, like using chocolate dough, so that the background was already dark and I did not need to paint it.

Cookies are baked with a circular indentation in the center, then the outer region is flooded with orange Royal icing. Once that sets, thick Royal icing dyed with a marbled brown makes the decorative stems. Little decorations are added (mine were painted fondant), and you are all set!


Of course, I had to make a little Halloween version at the time….

VERSION #2

BLACK AND WHITE PUMPKIN

This was my own design, could not be simpler. Just flood the center portion of the pumpkin with white, wait about 15 minutes, flood the adjacent sections and immediately pipe black dots of icing. Once that sets, add the details in black, with thicker consistency icing.


VERSION #3

THE HAUNTED PUMPKIN


If you miss Halloween, here is a little comfort for you… can a design be any more adorable? This was posted by Haniela in a Facebook live a couple of weeks before Halloween. She gilds the lily using air-brush, but if you don’t have that, a little luster powder will work too. To watch her tutorial, click here.

General steps shown below…


VERSION #4

PLAID PUMPKIN


Another super cute design by Haniela, I lost my pictures of the different steps in the design, but it is quite straightforward, and you can watch Haniela demonstrate it with a click here. All wet-on-wet, flood with the color of your choice, and then add straight lines in two contrasting colors. Allow that to set, then add details. Mine were Royal icing transfers in the shape of sunflowers and small leaves. I need more practice with the fine lines, so I consider these a “work in progress.”



I hope you can find some inspiration in this set, as the season for pumpkin in cookie shape is still going strong… I know for sure I am not done yet!


ONE YEAR AGO: Zentangle Cookies, Tangled up in Zen

FOR THE LOVE OF FALL

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Inspiration for these cookies came from a design I saw in the internet a while ago, captured a quick screenshot, but forgot to save the source. It coupled hearts with fall leaves, and I think it is a nice cookie tribute to one beautiful season in our beautiful planet.


Bringing this design to life is not difficult at all. You will need just white Royal icing in flooding consistency, but not too loose because you want to be able to get some volume in the different sections, and also you don’t want to risk them joining together. I sketched the leaves on the naked cookie, piped the leaf component first, allowed it to set for 10 minutes or so, then came back and did the rest.


Once that is fully set, at least 4 hours, you are ready to paint the details. You can use food gel diluted with vodka, or go for Sugarprism, which is my favorite option. Let your inner Monet fly!


Sugarprism dries quickly, wait about 20 minutes and you will be ready to add the details. I used Royal icing dyed with Americolor Gold, in piping consistency, and a piping tip #1. Later I painted the details with luster gold powder diluted with vodka, but that part is optional, the design will be ok without this step.


They are a little time-consuming but not too bad, and if you enjoy painting they give you a chance to get some Zen-time…

ONE YEAR AGO: Gobble Gobble!

AMY’S STACKABLE PUMPKIN SET

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To join Amy’s Facebook group and be on top of future online classes, click here. 


Here I am to report on yet another great online class taught by Amy. If you don’t want to cut the cookies by hand (which is what I did), the set is available at dotsandbowsdesigns, with a click here. Amy’s classes are great to teach several different tricks using the same basic cookie and this was no exception. This particular set takes the pumpkin concept to a higher level of elegance, and it would be a perfect centerpiece to a Fall get-together or a Thanksgiving meal. I learned so many cool tricks… So let me just briefly walk you through the process. Obviously, I cannot share specific details, as it is part of her class.

The cookies are baked, and the pumpkin piped in stages to allow the different sections to have enough definition…

This step is quite straightforward, the only thing you need to master for that is the icing consistency, but that is pretty much the most important aspect of cookie decorating, and only practice will give you what it takes. Keep in mind that no one was born with that skill, we all more or less struggle through the learning process until it becomes second nature. Do not get discouraged. The real fun begins with the side floral panels, and a progression is shown below.

Every step of this process used a new technique. Once again, it is all in the consistency and I got all of them ok, except the blue roses, the icing was just a tiny bit too soft. But I think I still got the shape to stay. My favorite bit is the grapevine, such a cool way to pipe it! And the little pumpkin shown from the top, another brilliant way to bring that to life. Cookie life, that is…


To finish the set, I just added a little shading to the pumpkin and a little touch of luster powder (Khaki color) on the stem and leaves.

I just love all the details and how much I learned in this class. Amy is very encouraging, and even when we need to do something that is intimidating, she insists it is easy and doable, and makes us try it on parchment paper first. That really helps a lot.

Amy, thank you so much for this fantastic online experience!


ONE YEAR AGO: Sally Cookies Sally

TUNDE DUGANTSI’S FALL COOKIES

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If you follow cookie artists, I’m sure you are a fan of Tunde’s work. Her cookies are elegant, often leaning towards the romantic and whimsical. Recently she shared a tutorial to make designs that celebrate Fall. I could not wait to give them a try… To join her Facebook page and gain access to her tutorials, visit her site with a click here.


To make the cookies, you follow two different video tutorials. In the first one, Tunde provides all templates and guidance to make the Royal icing transfers: flowers, pumpkins, acorns, and leaves. In the same video you’ll learn how to make little ghosts, and candy corn. Those can be made days in advance. For the basic cookies, you’ll need flooding consistency and thicker consistency pink. In the hexagon and basket, air-brushing with copper provides a totally different look. Texture in the house and hexagons are made with a needle or toothpick, all super clearly explained in her second video tutorial. Some steps are shown below.


The heart cookies are stamped with a handwritten text, which I thought was a very nice touch…


I really enjoyed making these cookies… Once the transfers are made you are more than half the way there. For the house, after adding the details with piping consistency Royal icing, I did the painting with Sugarprism.


I hope you enjoyed this set of cookies. I think they demonstrate that a single tone of icing (in this case a pastel pink) can be used to get totally different looks by playing with texture and colors, both with an air-brush or simple painting techniques.

Tunde, thank you for yet another great tutorial!
Looking forward to the next adventure…

ONE YEAR AGO: And Now for Pumpkin Completely Different

MARLYN’S SUNFLOWER PUMPKIN

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I cannot lie, I hate that Summer has ended, but I must also admit that Fall might very well be the greatest season for cookie decorating… because…. pumpkins, autumn leaves, and let’s not forget: HALLOWEEN! So, to start things on the best possible mood, I kick the season with a set of cookies created by Marlyn. I fell in love with them at first sight: a mixture of pumpkin and sunflower, in a composition full of small details that make a simple design shine. You can watch her tutorial with a click here.

The background of the pumpkin is made a little more special by spray painting the edges and then splashing some gold on the whole surface. I love that technique, which she demonstrates very well in the video. Just adding these two additional steps to the background makes the cookie special. But, of course, the icing on the cake is the sunflower, petals piped over a ring of icing to give it a little more lift. With Marlyn, it is all in the small details. Below, you can see some of the steps in the preparation of the cookies.

I loved making these cookies because you slowly see the image coming to life. Moreover, they stand as a very nice lesson in decorating, because you need to work on so many skills: a nice smooth flooding, then some air-brushing, working with luster powder, and finally piping designs with different icing consistencies (for the flowers, leaves, and fine line details).


For the sunflower center I used two different methods: black sanding sugar, and adding texture to Royal icing using a fondant ball. I like them both, but working with sanding sugar can be tricky, if you go that route, make sure the petals and areas around the center are fully set so the sugar won’t glue to them.

I hope you enjoyed this set, that represents the essence of Fall so well!

ONE YEAR AGO: Welcome to Fall!

BABY TURKEY COOKIE PLATTER

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I made this set for a person who did something very nice for me, but prefers not to be named. The cookie cutter set comes from Dots and Bows Designs. Available at etsy following this link.

Several techniques were used to make this set. For the back feathers, I used wet-on-wet for the little dots decorating three of them. The bottom feathers were flooded with Royal icing (Americolor Gold), and air-brushed with bronze sheen color using a stencil. The same bronze color was air-brushed on the edges of the feet and the head. They are a bit hidden in the final cookie composition, but you can see them below.

The body was given some texture using a little fondant ball tool, but you can also use the handle of a brush. You do that texturing once the icing sits for about 20 minutes, or a bit longer. Just be gentle. Once it was fully set, I brushed a little copper luster powder mixed with vodka, very diluted. The wings were decorated with wet-on-wet, similar to what I’ve done recently in this set.

If you omit the stencil decoration, the set can be fully made in one day. But the stencil component requires the base to be fully set, so take that in consideration when you plan it.

The black pupils were painted with a food safe black pen after the white was fully set. I did not want to mix just a little bit of black Royal icing, but do as you prefer.

Once the set was ready, I glued the pieces in place with stiff Royal icing, and placed them in a gift box with a few extra cookies. Small maple leaves, and a Zentangle heart…

AUTUMN LEAVES

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In my previous post I shared a slightly unusual take on pumpkins, and now I bring you a black and white alternative for Fall-inspired leaves. The basic idea is very simple, and you can do anything you want for each pattern. Don’t worry about it, don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s not about perfection. If you really hate one particular section you made, go ahead and paint it black… Inspiration came from this Instagram page.

The whole process could not be simpler… just flood the cookies with white Royal icing, and allow it to fully set, overnight is best. Then, divide the leaf in sections using a food-safe black pen, with a fine tip. Create different patterns for each of the sections, pretty much anything you imagine will do.

You can make the cookies big or small, it’s very relaxing to draw the patterns, time flies by…

Leaves are definitely one of the top shapes for cookies during this time of the year. No matter your preference, there is always a style out there for you… I actually like to mix and match, modern and traditional on the same batch.

The same basic idea can be applied to many different shapes of cookies, either decorating the whole area of just a small portion. Colors could be fun too instead of black and white. Once again, as usual with cookies, one simple method and so many things you can do with it!

AND NOW FOR PUMPKIN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

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Dedicated to all Monty Python fans out there.

Count on Marlyn to turn the pumpkin cookie, pretty much mandatory this time of the year, into something unusual and special. If you read my regular food blog, in the last In My Kitchen post I shared a little silicone mold to make a filigree type decoration. It is exactly what I used to decorate the pumpkin cookies, following Marlyn’s design (detailed video available here).

The making of the cookie is actually very simple. For a watercolor effect (starting around 8 min of Marlyn’s video), flood with white and then add patches of color with very diluted gel food dye (Everclear works best to dilute it). Let it dry, and add the fondant decoration, painted with gold luster dust (I used Egyptian gold). Alternatively you can just flood with a solid color like the one on the left side below.

The fall leaves were inspired by Amber, from @sweetambs (watch quick video here). The same watercolor technique, but applied to the naked cookie, so the colors will end up much more vivid. Then the veins are piped and painted with gold or copper. I really love the look of these cookies, and they both are pretty simple to decorate, plus the fall leaves will please those who prefer a cookie without too much Royal icing.

Visit my recent https://bewitchingkitchen.com/2021/10/01/in-my-kitchen-october-2021/In My Kitchen post to see the silicone mold I used for the decoration. There are plenty of options available in stores like amazon, etsy or aliexpress, make sure you consider the size of your pumpkin cookie cutter to get the appropriate mold.

A little play with coral colors in different techniques: air-brush with stencil, textured icing (laying crumpled parchment paper on the wet icing and waiting 24 hours to remove it), and the watercolor pumpkin.

I am a lover of all things Summer, but I have to admit that the Fall with all the warm colors and interesting shapes is one of the best seasons for cookie baking and decorating. Stay tuned for a lot more…

A FAIRY COTTAGE COOKIE COMPOSITION

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If you are serious about cookie decorating, I am sure you follow Amber, from @sweetambs. A while ago she posted a very special tutorial (exclusive to Patreon supporters) to make a Fairy Cottage cookie composition. A real masterpiece with quite a few steps. The thing that fascinated me the most was the pebble work on the surface of the house. You pipe each pebble individually as a Royal icing transfer, and then glue them to the cookie right after brushing some thick icing as a base. Each pebble is also painted with luster powder and vodka in black and brown, to make the final product even more realistic. I wanted to turn that into a pizza box concoction, so I reduced the dimensions of the house to fit inside the 7 x 7 inch box, and simplified the details a bit.

The two large cookies for the house were cut by hand, and I did the same for the small mushrooms, as I did not have any cookie cutter that would be compatible with the final dimension of the composition. Just make sure to keep an eye during baking because the small cookies will bake a lot faster.

The prep steps start with piping the pebbles with gray icing and letting them dry overnight. Paint them while still glued to the paper. Ice the walls and chimney, glue the pebbles. The hard work is done! The window panels were simple white icing painted later in yellow. The door was made with slightly thicker icing, to get some texture with a brush. Amber’s video is very detailed and you will have no issues following it. My favorite part was perhaps the roof, made with brush embroidery. Since the method allows the background to show, it is a nice touch to paint it brown with luster powder before proceeding with the embroidery step. Amber does a lot more to her fairy cottage in terms of details under the windows, and around the house, so make sure to check it out and be amazed. Here is the short version of her video, as posted on IG.

I hope you liked my Little Cottage, I am quite smitten with the pizza box format, which I find perfect to offer as a gift. That reminds me… I need to place another order at amazon for those boxes, because how could I risk running out of them?

A WELCOME TO FALL

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It is that time of the year. Temperatures will drop, and the trees will soon change color. These cookies are my little shout out to Autumn. Some inspired by Marlyn, from Montreal Confections, and adapted to my skill level.

I fell in love with these cookies the moment I saw the video by Marlyn. The challenging part for me was piping the basket, and I do need more practice, but overall I am happy with the outcome. You should definitely see Marlyn’s version, because she added a little bear peeking from inside the basket, the cutest little detail (Instagram entry here). I simplified it by using fondant flowers instead. The chocolate dough is my default, by the way. I sent these cookies to a dear friend, and used the smallest amount of chipotle, as I did not know her take on the pairing of cocoa with pepper…

The cookie cutter I used was this one. It all starts by piping an outline for each balloon section, and piping the basket weave. Then, flood the different regions according to your choice of pattern (dots, swirls), and you are almost there. Some fondant decorations and additional piping is all you’ll need. I had some leftover Royal icing which I put to use in my Hexagon Ode to Fall. I had no idea where I was going with it, but I liked it a lot. It ended up with an ET-meets-Aztec aura…

Another cute cookie project conceived by Marlyn (her creativity is unreal), involves the candy corn shape. Recently I got a special cutter that makes four small cookies at a time. It is what I’ve used in this fun batch. Check her IG post for all details.

This is a much simpler project, although it does require the piping of fine lines as a starting point. You can get by without them, but some of the visual impact will be lost.

The final detail is a little luster powder in red or pink to make the cheeks blush. I tell you, my friends, cookie decorating is all in the small details, and if you follow the artists out there, you will learn a ton from them.